Featured Animals - Giraffe

Giraffe Highlights

Giraffe Demo Times

Everything Giraffe

World Giraffe Day

Saturday, June 21, 2025 at 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

All ages. On the longest day of the year, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo will celebrate the longest-necked animal: the giraffe! Giraffe keepers and staff from the International Center for the Care and Conservation of Giraffe (The Giraffe Center) are throwing an event to commemorate World Giraffe Day. This annual celebration, founded in 2014 by our field partner, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, brings global attention to the conservation of these iconic animals. Giraffe-themed activities will be in Safari Lodge, (by the new temporary giraffe feeding area), and in Encounter Africa (next to the Abyssinian ground hornbill habitat), where guests can learn about CMZoo’s giraffe herd and take direct steps to help save wild giraffe. This event is free for anyone with a ticket to the Zoo. Advance tickets are required.

African Rift Valley

One Exhibit. Endless Adventures. Immerse yourself in up-close animal encounters and interactive learning experiences in an open space similar to the African savanna. Interact with our giraffes and look for the chance to hand-feed them, too! We have one of North America’s largest giraffe herds, the result of a prolific breeding program with more than 200 births since 1954. You’ll also see African lions, vultures, colobus monkeys, and more!

Something Big is Coming!

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is known for our large herd of reticulated giraffe and soon, you’ll be able to experience them in a whole new way! We’re in the final stages of The Giraffe Project, which includes: building a brand-new giraffe barn, and expanded outdoor habitat, and many other improvements! Learn more

Giraffe Conservation

According to recent reports, wild giraffe populations have grown 20 percent since 2015, with around 117,000 individual giraffe documented. But, there’s still work to be done. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categorizes giraffe as vulnerable to extinction, while two northern subspecies are considered critically endangered, and Masai and reticulated giraffe (the subspecies found at CMZoo) are endangered. Thus far there has been limited research and conservation efforts on wild giraffe, so the extent of their conservation threats are often undetermined.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has partnered with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation to support much-needed field research on the different giraffe subspecies and to help with multiple conservation strategies. Since 2016, the Zoo has provided financial support and a staff veterinarian to help Operation Twiga translocate Rothschild’s giraffe in Uganda back to a historic home range across the Nile River. The Zoo continues to support Operation Twiga and giraffe conservation; read below for the latest news.

You can visit reticulated giraffe at the Zoo in African Rift Valley
Learn about our International Center for the Care & Conservation of Giraffe

Name	Sex	Date of Birth	Learn More
Amani	female	December 13, 1999	Amani's Profile page
Lakeisha	female	March 9, 2000	Lakeisha's Profile page
Laikipia	female	June 20, 2007	Laikipia's Profile page
Azmera	female	July 24, 2007	Azmera's Profile page
Msitu	female	February 5, 2009	Msitu's Profile page
Tumbili	male	March 24, 2010	Tumbili's Profile page
Bailey	female	March 16, 2012	Bailey's Profile page
Ohe	male	July 22, 2018	Learn more about Ohe
Viv	female	July 6, 2019	Learn more about Viv
Wednesday	female	October 19, 2022	Learn more about Wednesday
Kay	female	February 27, 2022	Learn more about Kay
Kinda	female	August 19, 2023	Learn more about Kinda
Thorn	male	March 7, 2025	More about Thorne coming soon!

Featured Animals – Giraffe

Explore Section

Giraffe Highlights

Giraffe Demo Times

Everything Giraffe

CMZoo's Giraffe Herd List - (oldest to youngest)